For many people, boating is a summertime hobby—a sunny afternoon on the lake or a weekend of tubing with friends. But for senior Rachel Kittell, ships and boating mean much more. Her love for ships will stay with her as she continues to grow.
“I’ve always been interested in boats and boating in general,” Rachel said. “I wrote a lot of my college essays on how I’m interested in the environment and sustainability. Creating more sustainable shipping, like trans-oceanic shipping, to be better for the environment, has been an interest for me.”
The interest in boating didn’t sprout out of nowhere, though; boating has been a part of her family for as long as she can remember. This started with the trips she went on with her extended family.
“I have grown up around boats a lot, like [with] my grandparents, who owned a sailboat,” Rachel said. “They lived in Massachusetts, so we never really got to see them, so we would go on a sailboat trip every year. And then, we used to go on a small sailboat trip up north. It’s just been something that I’ve grown up around and had a lot of fun doing growing up.”
Growing up with a family that appreciates the natural wonders around the world has given Rachel valuable viewpoints on the lifestyle she might want to pursue in the future.
“Being around the water so much in my life has given me a way to connect with myself and nature,” Rachel said. “It has also allowed me to get closer to my family.”
Over the years, spending time with family in an enclosed space has given her unique experiences that others her age can’t say they’ve gone through. Living on a sailboat for weeks on end can prove to sprout fun stories and create the eccentric summer experiences that she has had.
“We would sail to the highlands around Massachusetts [on the sailing trips],” Rachel said. “We’d also go to Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and places around that area. And then we would sleep on the boat because there were beds under the cabin and also stay in the marinas when we could.”
Although most of her travels have been positive, it’s the unexpected and strange moments that make the journey truly unforgettable, like sleeping on a sailboat, which is not always as enjoyable as it sounds.
“Sleeping on a boat is actually very nice because [the waves] rock you to sleep, but sometimes on the longer boat trips, especially if you’re underneath in the cabin, you’ll get sick,” Rachel said, “So you come up [on deck], eat crackers, stare at the shoreline, and try and lock in to not throw up.”
Although trips on boats may, at times, get rocky, the destination is what matters. The unforgettable memories that Rachel has made with her family are seen as unique and out of the ordinary, whether cooking food by the fire or play-fighting with her brother when they were younger.
“Sometimes when we fished for crabs, we used a raw chicken drumstick and tied it with a string [to cook them] over the fire,” Rachel said. “It’s super weird, but it was a very good childhood [activity]. My brother and I also used to get in ‘moon jelly fights,’ where we would throw a certain type of jellyfish at each other. It was like a snowball fight with jellyfish.”
The unique and varied experiences Rachel has had throughout her childhood, which influenced her love for mechanical engineering, will shine throughout her life. In the future, she sees herself possibly giving her children a similar childhood experience that she has had.
“I hope I can give my kids the same experience that I had,” Rachel said. “Obviously, it depends on where I live and the kind of resources that I end up with. But since it’s something that I’ve been super passionate about, I definitely hope that I can bring that to them, whether it be on a larger boat or a smaller boat. I just want to let them experience it once.”
